Theresa May forced to delay passage of the EU
withdrawal bill due to Tory rebellions.MPs are concerned that the bill will hand ministers
sweeping powers to rewrite British laws.Delay comes as the EU says Brexit negotiations have
reached "deadlock".Chancellor Philip Hammond accused of 'treachery' as
Tory civil war over Brexit deepens.

LONDON - Theresa May's Brexit timetable has been thrown into
chaos after she was forced to delay the passage of the
government's central piece of Brexit due to a series of looming
Tory rebellions.

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The delay comes as Brexit talks with the EU reach "deadlock" and
a growing Conservative civil war over the future of the
chancellor Philip Hammond spills out onto today's front pages.

The EU Withdrawal bill was due to reach committee stage in the
House of Commons next week after it
passed second reading in September but has been delayed due
to the threat of the government being defeated.

Rebel Conservative MPs are pressing for a series of amendments to
the legislation against the wish of the government, and Tory
whips have been given more time to make compromises with those
who oppose the bill.

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Many Tory MPs are concerned that the bill, which is designed to
transfer all existing EU law into domestic law, will hand
ministers unconstrained powers to rewrite Britain's entire legal
settlement.

The Leader of the House
Andrea Leadsom told MPs that the bill will be delayed after
Tory backbenchers voiced concerns about the "Henry VIII" powers
being given to ministers once the UK leaves the European Union.

She said: "There are some 300 amendments and 54 new clauses being
proposed, quite rightly, by members who have very real concerns
about the bill.

"Those are being closely evaluated. That is taking a bit of time
to have proper, thoughtful, well-considered responses."

Labour claimed it had found more than a dozen amendments
that had the support of seven or more Conservative MPs, which
could cause the government an embarrassing series of
defeats.

A leaked European Council paper today reveals that Brexit trade
talks will now almost certainly be delayed until at least
Christmas, although member states will begin "preparatory talks"
in advance of formal negotiations.

The delay to negotiations has thrown May's Brexit timetable into
doubt. The prime minister hopes to pass eight Brexit-related
bills before Britain leaves the European Union.

The EU withdrawal bill, formerly known as the 'Great Repeal
Bill,' is the first hurdle for May to clear, but it faces strong
opposition from the House of Lords, Labour and a number of Tory
MPs.

Labour's shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer
told the Guardian: "The Tories' repeal bill is simply not fit
for purpose. It would give huge and unaccountable power to
ministers and puts vital rights and protections at risk.

"Theresa May must start listening to the legitimate concerns of
Labour and some of her own MPs and urgently change approach."

The bill was only backed by some Conservative MPs on the
understanding that they would push for changes in the committee
stage. Tory backbencher
Anna Soubry told Business Insider: "the government must
listen to us."

Last month a House of Lords committee warned that the legislation
will give
"excessively wide" powers to ministers, and recommended a new
scrutiny procedure to deal with secondary powers.

MPs are scheduled to spend eight days scrutinising the bill at
committee stage before amendments are voted on, after which it
will move to third reading and then the House of Lords.

The delay comes as May faces calls from Brexiteer Tory MPs and
Brexit-supporting newspapers to sack her chancellor Philip
Hammond.